As Mother’s Day approaches, NerdiPop celebrates the powerful and iconic TV mothers who have graced our screens with their warmth, strength, and wisdom. In no particular order, join us as we honor the top 5 TV mothers who have left an indelible mark on popular culture. From the nurturing and fiercely protective to the witty and unapologetically flawed, these maternal figures have resonated with audiences, shaping our perceptions of motherhood and leaving lasting impressions that transcend the confines of television.
Cersei Lannister (Game of Thrones)
Children: Joffrey, Myrcella, Tommen Baratheon
Although a super controversial choice for a good TV mother, Cersei Lannister surely loves her children. Cersei Lannister is a fictional character in American author George R. R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire series of epic fantasy novels and its television adaptation Game of Thrones. Cersei is a member of House Lannister, one of the wealthiest and most powerful houses on the continent of Westeros, who was first introduced in 1996’s A Game of Thrones. She also appears in A Clash of Kings (1998) and A Storm of Swords (2000), and with A Feast for Crows, she becomes a key point of view character (2005).
Cersei’s key character traits are her desire for power, plotting, and transgressive worldview, as well as her love for and protection of her children. Cersei Lannister may be one of Game of Thrones’ biggest villains, doing some awful things throughout the series, but she is a loving mother. That she does everything with her children in mind, always wanting to protect them, is possibly her most redeeming quality.
Kim Mi Kyung (It’s ok not to be ok)
Children: Nam Ju-ri
Kim Mi-kyung is a South Korean actress. She is most active as a supporting actress in television dramas known for her mother roles in Kdramas. If you watch a ton of dramas, you’ll notice that she plays “strict but awesome mother” type of parent in Korean dramas.
She portrays the chef at OK Psychiatric Hospital and the mother of nurse Nam Ju-ri. Moon Gang-tae, Moon Sang-tae, and Ko Mun-yeong (Seo Ye-ji) are continually consoled by having a parent figure in her, someone who is always ready to provide them a feast that would fill not just their bellies but also their hearts. Moon Sang-tae gave her a copy of Ko Mun-book yeong’s with his illustrations in the drama’s last episode, and his handwritten greeting for her reads: “Dear my fake, real mom. Thank you for all the delicious meals. I want to eat the food that you make every day. I really like you, Ms. Kang. Here’s a heart for you. Six hearts.”
Rainbow Johnson (Blackish; Mixed-ish)
Children: Zoey, Junior, Diane, Jack and Devante Johnson
Rainbow Johnson is an anesthesiologist, the wife of Dre Johnson and mother of Zoey, Junior, Diane, Jack and Devante Johnson. Like most women she also feels guilty about loving her career and being a mom, but she turns those feelings into instructional moments for her kids about having desire and purpose in life. Bow adores being a mother, but she recognizes that she cannot do everything. She enlists the support of her husband, in-laws, and even her other children to make it all happen. Bow understands that it takes help to get things done, whether it’s pick-up or drop-off duty, grocery shopping, school projects, or dating advise, and she’s not hesitant to call on hers so she doesn’t get overwhelmed or stretched too thin.
Jackie Tyler (Doctor Who)
Children: Rose, Tony Tyler
Jackie Tyler is a fictional character played by Camille Coduri in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who. Jackie is a widow who lives alone with her daughter Rose until Rose leaves her mundane existence behind to travel through time and space with the Doctor, as depicted in the series. In later episodes, Jackie’s sense of loss and abandonment is explored. Because her proximity to the Doctor puts her in danger, the character resents his power over Rose. Jackie, on the other hand, has a more cordial relationship with him once he undergoes regeneration and practically becomes a new man. In a storyline that sees them stranded in a parallel reality where Jackie starts a new relationship with an alternate version of her murdered husband Pete Tyler, the character was written out at the end of the 2006 season, along with Rose.
Mary Cooper (Young Sheldon; The Big Bang Theory)
Children: George, Sheldon, Missy Cooper
Mary is wise, intellectual, caring, kind, sociable, loving, and sweet-natured; she is devout and can be unknowingly bigoted at times, which Leonard (The Big Bang Theory) needs to point out to her on occasion. She appears to be an excellent mother and the only person who has ever been able to keep Sheldon under control. She is Sheldon’s “kryptonite,” according to Leonard. Mary is a “nice, caring, religiously zealous, right-wing Texan, with a slightly out of scale head and a mild Dr. Pepper addiction,” according to Sheldon. Sheldon also uses his mother to prove that he isn’t insane because she had him tested. Mary later corroborated the account, but added that she wished she’d “followed up with that Houston specialist.”
